Over the years, mobile devices such as smartphones have become widespread. With the rapid development in communication technology, smartphones have become an integral part of many people's lives given the portability, the convenient access to the Internet, and the growing number of applications available on smartphones. Today, individuals can perform a wide range of functions such as shopping, social networking, etc. via mobile devices. To operate such devices, physical hardware keys are commonly used to control such functions as audio volume control, display sleep/wake control, ringer-off mode, and so on. However, physical hardware keys and the surrounding circuitry can weaken in mechanical tactility or electrical conductivity over time, thereby causing performance degradation.
In addition, physical keys may make it more difficult to seal or water-proof a device. Thus, electromechanical functions can present reliability concerns. Furthermore, the location of physical hardware keys may act as a point of entry for electrostatic discharge, which can damage mobile devices. Finally, physical hardware keys and the surrounding circuitry often use a significant portion of the highly sought-after circuitry real estate around the edge of a circuit board or device where antennas, acoustic orifices, and/or connectors compete for access to external interfaces. The industrial design of a product must also accommodate provisions for the key buttons, which may affect the overall design theme.